According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s internal design comparisons reveal the foldable iPhone looks alarmingly like Samsung’s offering. The thing opens like a book and reveals a larger display inside and there is nothing that hasn’t already been seen. Apple’s engineers have reportedly said they’re unhappy with the design because it’s too much like every other foldable out there.

Apple is trying to one-up Samsung with a thinner, more durable design that avoids the notorious screen crease, but those lofty goals are proving harder to nail than expected. The crease, a bane of foldable tech since its debut, has forced multiple design revisions. That, alongside the challenge of keeping the device slim and sturdy, has delayed the project beyond earlier internal timelines.

Samsung, meanwhile, keeps churning out annual updates to its foldables, leaving Apple looking cautious, timid and lacking in any inovation. Cupertino is stuck in a perfectionist loop, insisting the iPhone Fold must have minimal or no crease.

Despite all the dithering, Gurman reckons 2026 is still the earliest the foldable iPhone could appear. Apple is waiting for the technology to mature enough to look different, but even then, the core design will still mimic the Galaxy Z Fold.

Apple’s entry into the foldable market will inevitably bring marketing fanfare and claims of “reinventing” the category. But insiders are already worried it won’t look or feel different enough to justify the hype. The real question is whether Job’s Mob can turn a foldable iPhone into a mainstream product or if it’s destined to be just another me-too gadget in a shrinking niche.

Here is a list of ideas that Apple pinched from Samsung and then claimed to have invented them:

• Big-screen phones
  Samsung’s Galaxy Note line popularised massive displays back in 2011. Job’s Mob mocked them as “Hummers” before caving and releasing the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch 6 Plus in 2014.
• OLED displays
  Samsung had AMOLED panels for years, while Apple stuck with LCD until the iPhone X in 2017 using OLEDs made by, you guessed it, Samsung Display.
• Always-on display
  A staple of Galaxy phones for yonks, Apple finally added it to the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022 and marketed it as a breakthrough.
• Multi-lens cameras
  Samsung and LG were stuffing multiple cameras on their phones well before Apple decided to slap dual lenses on the iPhone 7 Plus in 2016.
• Wireless charging
  Galaxy phones had Qi wireless charging way back in 2015, while Cupertino waited until the iPhone 8 in 2017, acting like it was some grand innovation.
• Fast charging
  Samsung bundled fast chargers with its phones for years. Apple finally added fast-charging support in 2017 but didn’t include the brick, making users buy it separately.
• Water resistance
  Samsung’s Galaxy S5 in 2014 already had IP67 water resistance. Apple didn’t bother until the iPhone 7 in 2016.
• Stylus (sort of)
  Samsung’s S Pen has been a productivity staple. Apple mocked styluses in 2007 then released the Apple Pencil for iPads in 2015.
• Split-screen multitasking
  Galaxy devices offered split-screen apps as early as 2012. Apple grudgingly brought a version of it to the iPad in 2015, but iPhones still don’t have it.
• Punch-hole and notch-free designs
  Samsung’s Infinity-O displays ditched the notch years ago, while Job’s Mob still clings to its Dynamic Island.